Hiring managers please give input on spare time business (job application, interview, application)

[PhotoGuy79]

Hiring managers, please imagine that you are interviewing someone. Now imagine you found out that they wanted to start their own business, outside of work hours, in their spare time. And that their desired business would be completely non-competitive to your company.

1. Would you look at this negatively, positively, or neutrally, and why?

2. Would this affect your decision on whether or not this person is a good candidate for the job?

3. Are there any possible interview questions where that topic might logically come up, or should the interviewee always keep this private? (ex: what do you do in your spare time, what are some personal goals you have, where do you see yourself in 5 years, etc)

4. How would you feel if you hired someone and then later found out that they had this non-competing business?

Thanks for your input

[MainLineMommy]

You should definitely keep this to yourself. The hiring manager will assume that you will spend working hours dealing with stuff related to your side business, and that you'll quit if the side business becomes lucrative. If you don't plan to spend company time or use company resources towards your side business, there's no reason they need to know anything about it. You should always answer the 5-year question with you seeing yourself at that company. And spare time questions are usually best answered broadly with stuff like reading, exercising, spending time with family, volunteering, etc. Same with personal goals. "My goals are to learn and grow both personally and professionally. I hope to exceed your expectations and advance within this company over the next decade." As far as finding out later, if you're not misusing company time or resources, they likely won't care. And since you'll have had time to prove yourself as a productive and honest worker, they would have no reason to have any issue with a non-competing business that you do in your free time. People do it all the time, either as a hobby or with the intent of making it into a fulltime job in the future.

[Suburban_Guy]

Why would an applicant at any point during the job application process, to include interviews, mention that they wanted to start a side business?

I just cannot see any situation where this would happen or would be a recommended thing to do.

Those kinds of things should always be kept on the down low.

[fishbrains]

If it isn't relative to the job, don't bring it up at the interview and it won't be a concern.

For myself, I couldn't care less if a candidate has a side business, but I could see that other people might.

[Hemlock140]

When I interviewed at my current employer, my previous employer was my business, and it was related to the work so I took advantage of it. Due to conflict of interest, I had to agree to give up many customers that were now going to be my "customers" at the job, but due to my qualifications and experience they were willing to take me on. Eventually, after two promotions, I am now a hiring manager and have given up the business but kept a handful of regulars for work on the side. I am currently interviewing for an opening, and for me the only problem would be f the applicant's business involves a lot of internet work, which they could be doing at their desk when at work. If well qualified I'd hire them but would give clear expectations and keep an eye on their production. It would surely make me more attentive to their work.

[joe from dayton]

Keep your pie hole shut. As long as it is not a competing business, or negatively impact the full time job you were hired to do, keep it to yourself.

[PhotoGuy79]

Thanks for all of the advice. This is what I suspected, but it helps to hear the thought process behind the answers. Thanks everyone!